Sunday, July 6, 2008

The sun sets on a 3-day weekend


Here I am pushing Kate on her cart this afternoon. I say, "put yer feet up!" And she would! And off we'd go! (Tyler was with his mom at the pool! Yeah. We were all envious in this hot weather!)

It was such a nice weekend.

I filled it up as full as I could fill it. From watching the fireworks to outdoor parties to barbecues and sitting outdoors long after the sun went down, talking about all kinds of fun and interesting topics over candlelight.

This is my beautiful mom who put on little Kate's summer hat just in time for me to snap my camera.

I got inspired by my brother and Angie's yard. So I went home and started digging up old yellow grass in my backyard to re-landscape it. I have a plan but it's just not in clear focus at the moment. But it's there. It will look beautiful once I'm done.

Can you see us in this picture? It's me and my mom and Kate. It's sorta like looking for a lost easter egg, isn't it?

What a weekend. I scrubbed and polished my bathroom so if necessary I could eat off it incase of an emergency. I painted my outdoor furniture and hanging pots. (and my grass because I used spray paint). I washed my car. I mopped my floors. I mowed and I pulled up weeds and I swept my patio. I bought groceries. I did a ton of laundry and caught up on last season's LOST. And each night between 2 and 4:30am, I'd toss and turn looking for the coolest corner of my pillowcase ... flipping it over and over and over again... laying sideways on my bed just across the sheets and remembering as a kid sleeping upstairs in hot, muggy Swansboro, (the friendly city by the sea) North Carolina in August visiting Granddaddy without air conditioning.

I love the Fourth of July. It is my favorite holiday. I usually spend it somewhere else. Within the past five years, I have spent two in Maui and one in San Antonio and two here in Santa Rosa.

A zillion years ago we spent the summer (and July 4th) of 1976 traveling across country with my mom and our next door neighbor's mom and seven of us kids and a nanny. We saw the Badlands. And Yellowstone. And Mt. Rushmore. And the nickel factory in Sudbury, Canada and we visited Toronto (including stopping in (after a long drive) at the Defranco Family's house in Welland) where Tony's father was so kind and invited us into their home and gave us the tour of their home back then and my sister still teases me to this day. Yes. It's true. I had my mom take a picture of me sitting on their toilet so I could catch their coodies.

I'm still that way!!! Cooties are good and bad. I love catching GOOD cooties. Isn't that silly? If I have a favorite friend sit in my backseat of my car.. as I step out of the drivers seat and when no one is looking, I'll scoot in and sit in that seat as my friend for just a moment to collect the coodies.

Just shoot me now.

It was a fabulous trip. We were in Williamsburg, VA that year. And Boston. And Philadelphia. And all through the Amish country. We visited relatives in Long Island and throughout Virginia and we learned to play horseshoes like riding a bike. And then then there was Swansboro. A place all of it's own. And it was the perfect year.. as we celebrated the 200th year birthday of our country.

I really want to re-experience those drives back across country again. If you never have. Please do. We really do live in a wonderful world.

8 comments:

danny said...

Wow those are amazing 4th of July stories, and pictures! Your brother's house is so stately, and you and Kate and your mom are so cute!
Well, many of my 4th's I've spent working, like this last one...I remember the 4th in 1976, I was working at Great America park, and the Grand Finale basically went off on the ground.
And that's hilarious about your kootie stories! but we had only bad kooties, "ewwww I saw Debbie Cantrell touch you, so you got her kooties!"
"oh yeah? well here they are." and I'd rub my shirt and rub it onto Bobby's shirt, and he'd rub his shirt and rub it back...that's amazing how you can bring out the 'inner child' in all of us.
Glad you had a great 4th shawn! you deserve it!

Doodlestreet said...

Your entire family is just so adorable Shawn. How sweet are all those photos! Your mom is just a kick in that hat! I can see so much of you in her...awwww.

All these cool S.R. women!!

Rayne said...

Wonderful post! and wonderful photos.
I do the cootie thing, too, only I didn't realize it. I love curling up in a warm chair that another family member has just left.
It feels like I am being hugged by them.

platitudinal said...

"We really do live in a wonderful world."
Dear Shawn, I love coming to your blog. You have such a positive view of life that one cannot possibly leave without feeling uplifted.

*7/4 is my birthday. Glad to hear that's your favorite holiday :)

ED/ANN said...

Da knee-OUCH! Just got back from bike ride to Angie/Wally's and on to the J.C. What a great night! Not to hot,but terrible air! Arn't Kate and Tyler the greatist! ED/ANN

violetismycolor said...

wow, can't believe how much hard work you put in...I love the 4th but my 21 yr old daughter hates it because she burnt her hand on a sparkler when she was 6 and is petrified of a firework taking off her hand...lol...

kelly said...

Thanks for the walk down memory lane, Shawn. Our cross country road trips were the best. I still miss Swansboro, too. Great times and great memories!!

Sofia Lambert said...

Hello mate nice ppost